Monthly Archive for November, 2010

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR A NUCLEAR-FREE FUTURE

April 26, 2011, 25th Chernobyl anniversary

It’s time for groups and activists all over the world to plan protests and actions to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe.

Each year, the French anti-nuclear network Sortir du nucleaire has issued a call to action on Chernobyl Day. In support of this call, U.S. organizations Nukewatch and the Nuclear Resister invite you to organize public protest and/or nonviolent direct action/civil resistance in your area, or participate in other events or actions being planned on or around April 26. It will be a day to declare, together with millions of others around the world, NO to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear testing, uranium mining and radioactive waste and YES to a nuclear-free future!

28 Arrested During Annual Protest Weekend

Four protesters arrested and charged with federal trespass at Ft. Benning, Georgia on November 20 and 21 were in court on Tuesday, November 23. Arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Hyles, Nancy Smith and Christopher Spicer pled not guilty. Their trial is set for January 5. Fr. Louis Vitale, OFM and Michael David Omondi pled no contest and were sentenced to the maximum 6 months in jail (no fine). Both men were moved from a Georgia county jail on December 14 and 15. Omondi is in Atlanta, likely waiting transport. Vitale was moved to Victorville, California on December 16.

Until we know that both men are at their final destination, cards and letters to David may be sent to his community for forwarding: The Los Angeles Catholic Worker, 632 N. Brittania St., Los Angeles, CA 90033. Louie’s mail may be send to the Nuclear Resister for forwarding at P.O. Box 43383, Tucson, AZ 85733.

The Nuclear Resister E-bulletin November, 2010 Please let us know if you would like us to send you a stack of the special 16 page 30th anniversary issue of the Nuclear Resister for distribution at meetings, conferences, demonstrations, etc. – free of cost! IN THIS E-BULLETIN: 1) HUNDREDS ARRESTED OPPOSING NEW NUCLEAR POWER IN INDIA […]

Near Caen, the train stops while French police clear resisters from the tracks. Photos by Stern.de

The periodic shipment of nuclear waste from a reprocessing facility in France to the burial dump at Gorleben, Germany, has long inspired mass nonviolent direct actions, and the scale and intensity of this year’s resistance eclipsed any previous mobilization.

German anti-nuclear sentiment has been stoked by the government’s recent decision to extend the lifetime of current nuclear power plants, guaranteeing even more waste production.

The latest special train bearing the massive “castor” storage casks left from France on Friday, November 5, for the 900 mile trip. The train was soon stopped for three hours near Caen, Normandy, where police arrested five activists who had chained themselves to the tracks and detained about 30 others. A banner in German displayed among hundreds of supporters nearby declared “Our resistance knows no borders.”

Hundreds of people were arrested October 29, protesting the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP) on India’s west coast. The project is the crown jewel of the U.S./India nuclear partnership, and, if realized, it would be the world’s largest nuclear energy park.

Six huge French-designed reactors producing 10,000 MW of electricity for Mumbai and Goa would displace thousands of village farmers and fishers. Compensation payments for the targeted villagers have been refused en masse, and in October a large police escort kept locals from confronting a visiting committee of site-selection experts. When a regional government official declared that locals did not oppose the project and outside instigators were at work, the people’s organization Janhit Seva Samiti called for a satyagraha action October 29 in remote Madban Village, at the heart of the area coveted by the JNPP. Warrants were issued for the arrest of Janhit Seva Samiti leaders, and some were detained while others went underground.

The Nuclear Resister E-bulletin October, 2010 The 30th anniversary of the Nuclear Resister newsletter – the first issue was published in October 1980! IN THIS E-BULLETIN: 1) DISARM NOW PLOWSHARES ARRAIGNED, TRIAL ON DECEMBER 7 2) KANSAS CITY BOMB PLANT BLOCKADERS CONVICTED; TWO IMMEDIATELY ARRESTED AGAIN FOR DISRUPTING CITY HALL 3) UPHOLDING INTERNATIONAL LAW IN […]

Military police have again arrested nuclear abolitionists vigiling along a public highway outside the main gate of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where missiles to launch nuclear war are tested. California Highway 1 passes through the base, with the main gate actually in the interior of the sprawling installation along the coast north of Santa Barbara.